Download or read book Communities in Action written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-04-27 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Download or read book Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-09-28 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Download or read book The Hidden Epidemic written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1997-03-28 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States has the dubious distinction of leading the industrialized world in overall rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with 12 million new cases annually. About 3 million teenagers contract an STD each year, and many will have long-term health problems as a result. Women and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these diseases and their health consequences. In addition, STDs increase the risk of HIV transmission. The Hidden Epidemic examines the scope of sexually transmitted infections in the United States and provides a critical assessment of the nation's response to this public health crisis. The book identifies the components of an effective national STD prevention and control strategy and provides direction for an appropriate response to the epidemic. Recommendations for improving public awareness and education, reaching women and adolescents, integrating public health programs, training health care professionals, modifying messages from the mass media, and supporting future research are included. The book documents the epidemiological dimensions and the economic and social costs of STDs, describing them as "a secret epidemic" with tremendous consequences. The committee frankly discusses the confusing and often hypocritical nature of how Americans deal with issues regarding sexualityâ€"the conflicting messages conveyed in the mass media, the reluctance to promote condom use, the controversy over sex education for teenagers, and the issue of personal blame. The Hidden Epidemic identifies key elements of effective, culturally appropriate programs to promote healthy behavior by adolescents and adults. It examines the problem of fragmentation in STD services and provides examples of communities that have formed partnerships between stakeholders to develop integrated approaches. The committee's recommendations provide a practical foundation on which to build an integrated national program to help young people and adults develop habits of healthy sexuality. The Hidden Epidemic was written for both health care professionals and people without a medical background and will be indispensable to anyone concerned about preventing and controlling STDs.

Download or read book Rose s Strategy of Preventive Medicine written by Geoffrey Arthur Rose and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Strategy of Preventive Medicine by Geoffrey Rose, first published in 1993, remains a key text for anyone involved in preventive medicine. Rose's insights into the inextricable relationship between ill health, or deviance, in individuals and populations they come from, have transformed our whole approach to strategies for improving health. His personal and unique book, based on many years research, sets out the case that the essential determinants of the health of society are to be found in its mass characteristics. The deviant minority can only be understood when seen in its societal context, and effective prevention requires changes which involve the population as a whole. He explores the options for prevention, considering them from various viewpoints - theoretical and scientific, sociological and political, practical and ethical. The applications of his ideas are illustrated by a variety of examples ranging from heart disease to alcoholism to road accidents. His pioneering work focused on a population wide approach to the prevention of common medical and behavioral disorders has become the classic text on the subject. This reissue brings the original text to a new generation involved in preventive medicine. Kay-Tee Khaw and Michael Marmot retain the original text intact, but have added their own perspective on the work. They examine what relevance Rose's ideas might have in the era of the human genome project and other major scientific advances, they consider examples of how the theory might be applied and generalised in medicine and beyond, and discuss what implications it holds for the future. There is also an explanation of the population perspective, clarifying the often confused thinking and arguments about determinants of individual cases and determinants of population incidence. Rose's Strategy of Preventive Medicine will ensure that this seminal work continues to be read by future generations.

Download or read book Lesbian Health written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-05-11 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women's health, as a field of study, is a developing discipline. Health theories in general have been based on studies of men. However, in recent years, more attention has shifted to women's health, realizing the disparities between men and women in relation to their health. During the last two decades, a similar shift has occurred for a group of womenâ€"lesbian womenâ€"to further identify and specify their health needs. Over the past decade, lesbians have organized to call for attention to the health issues of this community, resulting in several federally funded research initiatives. This book offers a comprehensive view of what is known about lesbian health needs and what questions need further investigation, including: How do we define who is lesbian? Are there unique health issues for lesbians? Are lesbians at higher or lower risk for such health problems as AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, breast cancer, mental disorders, and substance abuse? How does homophobia affect lesbian health and the funding of research on lesbian health? How do lesbian health needs fit into the health care system and the larger society? What risk and protective factors shape the physical and mental health of lesbians? The book discusses how to determine which questions to ask about sexual orientation, the need to obtain information without violating privacy, the importance of considering racial and ethnic diversity in the study of lesbians, strategies for exchanging information among researchers and disseminating findings to the public, and mechanisms for supporting greater numbers of researchers. Lesbian Health takes a frank look at the political pressures, community attitudes, and professional concerns uniquely affecting the study of lesbian health issues. The book explores many other issues including the potential for transferring findings in this field to other population groups, including other rare populations and women in general.

Download or read book Preventing HIV Transmission written by National Research Council and Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1995-09-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume addresses the interface of two major national problems: the epidemic of HIV-AIDS and the widespread use of illegal injection drugs. Should communities have the option of giving drug users sterile needles or bleach for cleaning needs in order to reduce the spread of HIV? Does needle distribution worsen the drug problem, as opponents of such programs argue? Do they reduce the spread of other serious diseases, such as hepatitis? Do they result in more used needles being carelessly discarded in the community? The panel takes a critical look at the available data on needle exchange and bleach distribution programs, reaches conclusions about their efficacy, and offers concrete recommendations for public policy to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. The book includes current knowledge about the epidemiologies of HIV/AIDS and injection drug use; characteristics of needle exchange and bleach distribution programs and views on those programs from diverse community groups; and a discussion of laws designed to control possession of needles, their impact on needle sharing among injection drug users, and their implications for needle exchange programs.

Download or read book Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-29 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Download or read book Sexually Transmitted Infections written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by . This book was released on 2021-12-24 with total page 750 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One in five people in the United States had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) on any given day in 2018, totaling nearly 68 million estimated infections. STIs are often asymptomatic (especially in women) and are therefore often undiagnosed and unreported. Untreated STIs can have severe health consequences, including chronic pelvic pain, infertility, miscarriage or newborn death, and increased risk of HIV infection, genital and oral cancers, neurological and rheumatological effects. In light of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the National Association of County and City Health Officials, commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to examine the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections in the United States and provide recommendations for action. In 1997, the Institute of Medicine released a report, The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Although significant scientific advances have been made since that time, many of the problems and barriers described in that report persist today; STIs remain an underfunded and comparatively neglected field of public health practice and research. The committee reviewed the current state of STIs in the United States, and the resulting report, Sexually Transmitted Infections: Advancing a Sexual Health Paradigm, provides advice on future public health programs, policy, and research.

Download or read book Transgender and HIV written by Walter O. Bockting and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2001 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Deliver effective services to this growing population! This volume presents the first collection of reports on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the transgender community worldwide. It includes a thorough description of the unique HIV risks of transgender people and exposes their largely neglected health and social service needs. This unique book also reports on the first generation of prevention interventions targeting this community, discusses guidelines for providing sex reassignment services to HIV-positive transsexuals, and encourages collaboration between communities at risk, researchers, and people in the helping professions. The social stigma faced by this population adds to their risk of HIV infection. Low self-esteem, rejection, neglect, employment discrimination, disenfranchisement, and a desire for acceptance and validation are all contributing factors. Yet, as the editors point out, "On the positive side, the transgender community has been able to mobilize and empower itself, and has found a voice that no longer can be ignored. We call on transgender and nontransgender people alike to work together to advance HIV prevention and promote our sexual health." In Transgender and HIV you'll encounter: extensive discussions of the health, social service, and HIV prevention needs of the transgender community tips on how to work with marginalized communities in an empowering way explorations of the sexuality of both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals first-ever findings on sex reassignment surgery on HIV-positive individuals guidelines for surgery on HIV-positive transsexuals Transgender and HIV provides much-needed and often-requested information on HIV prevalence, risks, prevention, and care for this increasingly visible community.

Download or read book Geography and Drug Addiction written by Yonette F. Thomas and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-09-24 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Making Connections: Geography and Drug Addiction Geography involves making connections – connections in our world among people and places, cultures, human activities, and natural processes. It involves understa- ing the relationships and ‘connections’ between seemingly disparate or unrelated ideas and between what is and what might be. Geography also involves connecting with people. When I rst encountered an extraordinarily vibrant, intelligent, and socially engaged scientist at a private d- ner several years ago, I was immediately captivated by the intensity of her passion to understand how and why people become addicted to drugs, and what could be done to treat or prevent drug addiction. Fortunately, she was willing to think beyond the bounds of her own discipline in her search for answers. Our conversation that evening, which began with her research on fundamental biochemical processes of drug addiction in the human body, evolved inevitably to an exploration of the ways in which research on the geographical context of drug addiction might contribute to the better understanding of etiology of addiction, its diffusion, its interaction with geographically variable environmental, social, and economic factors, and the strategies for its treatment and prevention. This fascinating woman, I soon learned, was Nora Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse as well as the granddaughter of Leon Trotsky.

Download or read book Evaluating AIDS Prevention Programs written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1991-02-01 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With insightful discussion of program evaluation and the efforts of the Centers for Disease Control, this book presents a set of clear-cut recommendations to help ensure that the substantial resources devoted to the fight against AIDS will be used most effectively. This expanded edition of Evaluating AIDS Prevention Programs covers evaluation strategies and outcome measurements, including a realistic review of the factors that make evaluation of AIDS programs particularly difficult. Randomized field experiments are examined, focusing on the use of alternative treatments rather than placebo controls. The book also reviews nonexperimental techniques, including a critical examination of evaluation methods that are observational rather than experimentalâ€"a necessity when randomized experiments are infeasible.

Download or read book Theories on Drug Abuse written by National Institute on Drug Abuse. Division of Research and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 534 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book El VIH y el SIDA en M xico al 2008 written by and published by CENSIDA. This book was released on with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance Use Conditions written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-03-29 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year, more than 33 million Americans receive health care for mental or substance-use conditions, or both. Together, mental and substance-use illnesses are the leading cause of death and disability for women, the highest for men ages 15-44, and the second highest for all men. Effective treatments exist, but services are frequently fragmented and, as with general health care, there are barriers that prevent many from receiving these treatments as designed or at all. The consequences of this are seriousâ€"for these individuals and their families; their employers and the workforce; for the nation's economy; as well as the education, welfare, and justice systems. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions examines the distinctive characteristics of health care for mental and substance-use conditions, including payment, benefit coverage, and regulatory issues, as well as health care organization and delivery issues. This new volume in the Quality Chasm series puts forth an agenda for improving the quality of this care based on this analysis. Patients and their families, primary health care providers, specialty mental health and substance-use treatment providers, health care organizations, health plans, purchasers of group health care, and all involved in health care for mental and substanceâ€"use conditions will benefit from this guide to achieving better care.

Download or read book Transgender Health and HIV Prevention written by Walter O. Bockting and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-01-04 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get the latest assessment of the health needs of the transgender population The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the transgender community has been tragically ignored, and as yet there is surprisingly little research data on the subject of health care and HIV prevention in this marginalized population. Transgender Health and HIV Prevention fills this void by providing a groundbreaking empirical assessment of the health needs of transgender persons in several areas around the United States. Respected experts discuss issues that hinder the effectiveness of HIV prevention programs, including housing, mental health, and employment, as well as the unique broader problems of social stigma, discrimination, and the lack of transgender knowledge and sensitivity on the part of health providers and prevention workers. Even though recent studies show estimated HIV infection rates to be as much as 60 percent among specific transgender populations in the United States, the transgender community continues to receive inadequate healthcare support. Transgender Health and HIV Prevention tackles the problems inherent in the healthcare system by first assessing the needs of transgender persons, then offering specific practical recommendations for remedy. Top researchers in partnership with community members in San Francisco, Houston, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New England, San Juan, and Minneapolis/St. Paul bring empirical data together to assess what has to be done to effectively stem the HIV epidemic. This essential resource is extensively referenced with several tables to clarify data. Transgender Health and HIV Prevention explores in detail: health and social services needs of African-Americans, Latinas, and Asian/Pacific Islanders sources for the high rates of HIV infection among male-to-female transgender persons the prevalence of physical and sexual violence, substance abuse, and unemployment in the transgender community risk behaviors of male-to-female transgender persons health care providers’ ignorance, insensitivity, and discrimination—with training strategies to increase patient access and effectiveness of care how traditional notions about femininity affect risk behaviors a comparison between transgender persons and other sexual minorities Transgender Health and HIV Prevention is crucial, one-of-a-kind reading for educators, students, researchers, public health professionals, social workers, health care providers, HIV/AIDS caregivers, and prevention workers.

Download or read book Toward Understanding Homelessness written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Youth at Risk in Latin America and the Caribbean written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Youth at Risk in Latin America provides evidence-based guidance to policymakers that will help increase the effectiveness of their youth investment program. Drawing on the authors' detailed analyses, the book describes twenty-three policies and programs that youth development experts agree are the basis of a quality youth development portfolio, from early childhood development programs to parent training to cash transfers for positive behaviors. It also lays out strategies for implementing this effective youth portfolio in a budget-constrained environment by reallocation of resources away from.